by USA Today Bestselling Author Kristin Holt
Victorian Americans Celebrated SOOOO
Differently Than We Do
Are you still cleaning up Trick-or Treat candy wrappers?
Victorian Americans did not associate candy with Halloween. No one went trick-or-treating. None of that occurred until several decades into the 20th century.
They did, however, go "Tricking". They called it Pranking. Or just plain FUN.
Sometimes, the fun went too far.
In my Halloween Short Story, The Witching Eve, kids enjoyed playing pranks on their neighbors and friends--just like real people did historically--and, as my book description includes, "It's all fun and games until someone gets hurt."
America's Melting Pot developed its own brand of Halloween fun, as Irish and Scottish Immigrants brought their traditions with them.
Victorian Americans (and their Old World home countries) enjoyed parties at home, and enjoyed fortune-telling games at those parties. Including baking trinkets into a cake (or an Irish sweet, yeast bread known as barmbrack, or simply "brack"), and whoever found the thimble, matchstick, scrap of fabric (or rag), button, ring, etc. (in their slice) would be destined for that bit of good (or bad) luck in the coming year.
Barmbrack "Brack", a yeasted sweet bread with added sultanas and raisins:
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| Image: Barmbrack, courtesy of Wikipedia. |
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| Who knew an Etsy store sold Barmbrack trinkets? |
Other mildly superstitious parlor games included use of mirrors, candles, staircases, water, melted lead, and so much more--mostly to forecast romances and quality of those marital unions. "Divination rituals such as the one depicted on this early 20th century Halloween greeting card, where a woman stares into a mirror in a darkened room to catch a glimpse of the face of her future husband, while a witch lurks in the shadows, may be one origin of the Bloody Mary legend." ~ Wikipedia
#/media/File:Halloween-card-mirror-2.jpg) |
| Image: Public Domain, courtesy of Wikipedia. |
Most of these superstitious, American Immigrant, and soon-to-become passé traditions make a showing in my new short story--one I've decided to GIVE to readers. (Because I like readers; I like you!) Trick or treat? Definitely a treat. From me to you. You can put it in your orange pumpkin if it's still on the kitchen counter or bedside table. If you want to.
I have a brand-new, barely published Sweet Western Historical Romance Short Story to share with you--FREE of charge! This title released on 10-30-17, and through 11-4-17, you can download it FREE. Because the story was designed as a perk to my newsletter subscribers (and they received it first), "free" does mean you need to sign up for my newsletter in order to download my gift. Grab it NOW, because it probably won't be available for several months, and then, it'll be in a multi-story/book bundle.
Kristin's Newsletter Details:
1. No more than TWO per month, typically just one
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4. Subscribers see my new content FIRST
5. Every monthly newsletter has a DRAWING for valuable prizes...
6. ...and frequent additional "freebies" (like paperback books)
7. TWO free reads, right now, for subscribers-- THE WITCHING EVE and THIS NOELLE
8. Note: Just signing up for my newsletter will NOT deliver The Witching Eve...so remember to go to its download page.
Hurry! Your opportunity to claim this short story FREE ends at the stroke of midnight on 11-4-17.
RELATED POSTS--LOTS MORE HISTORY!
Copyright © 2017 Kristin Holt LC
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